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February 2008

February 25, 2008

Here are the "brand" spanking new Thompson business cards! We're all very pleased with them. With a red and silver foil on the front and white screen-printed details on the reverse, we think they are rather special.

February 22, 2008

There was a reason why we travelled to the furthest reaches if Immingham on a cold rainy day in January, and it wasn't just because we like being wet and miserable. Until now it's been a secret operation discussed only behind closed doors. We were in fact at Immingham Studios, filming six web ads for the launch this years Propeller Short Festival, and... it was a lot of fun.

The ads are now for all to see on YouTube, check em' out.

ShortFest is a celebration of the best original shorts submitted by new filmmaking talent and a chance to enjoy the most popular shorts shown on propeller since it launched in 2006.

February 21, 2008

We're pleased to say that Thompson is the 25th of the top 100 marketing service providers outside of London in the 2007 RAR survey conducted on behalf of The Drum magazine. The key criteria for the list is quality, business efficiency and client satisfaction. Over 2000 clients were contacted to find their views on their marketing services, the agencies that past this step where then invited to submit their details for possible inclusion. So, it's been a rigorous process and we're delighted that we've been ranked so high.

Shame about the picture we supplied and was published by The Drum to represent our business. I've never seen the guys in the studio looking so studious. Rob - does the hand position really help you concentrate?

February 20, 2008

We had a client up from London today and we naturally talked about the weather for about an hour. He was traumatised by the sub zero conditions (so were we).

We all decided we would be better off if we'd had our Ready Brek. We then decided that 'Central heating for kids' was one of the best strap lines of all time and that the 'glow' creative treatment was genius. Discuss.

February 19, 2008

If you type this into google, you get the blog of a complete maniac. If you think you're obsessive in any way or have touches of OCD (which lets face it we all do), then read this and you'll breathe easy.

"I washed up yesterday's dirty dishes, did two loads of washing, then started on anything I could get my hands on. I washed Muffy's food bowls, moat, water bowl and place mat. (If you're wondering what a moat is, it's a large dish I have to fill with water to surround her smaller meat dish, to keep the ants out.) I disinfected them all, and put them in the sun to dry"

And I could go on.

We're just looking for a really organised Account Manager. you're super efficient, dead organised and be the sort of person who loves making clients deliriously happy and on top of all that, think that brilliant creative work is actually better than sex (ok, I'm pushing that). If any of those ring a bell, get in touch. Soon.

If you're ever in need of inspiration, there's a brilliant space at Leeds City Art Gallery.

We came across it last year when we had a Thompson life drawing day out and we were blown away by the vibe of the room. It's a room you can hire - well, i say hire, but you can't pay for it as it's an education space. you've just got to top up the artist materials and leave the place as you find it. I love that.

When we needed to find a space where we could let rip and throw a bit of ink around (like we used to do in the old days) then we didn't think it'd be a good idea to get gouache on the G5s or indian ink on the macbooks. so we looked for a space where we could let our hair down.

If you like the look of it too, let me know. We'll put a word in with our good friend Nigel and I'm sure he'll help you out.

February 18, 2008

February 14th, for a lot of people the most romantic day of the year – and to spend it in one of the most romantic cities in the world must sound like a marriage made in heaven. However, this year I spent all of Valentines day and the day after sat in a printer's in Rome on a press pass for the new Leeds Trinity Prospectus which we have recently completed.

It's the first time we have placed print abroad so It was quite a big deal for us to make sure things ran smoothly. Our concerns however, were completely unnecessary. When I arrived at the pristine factory I was greeted by a series of friendly faces and given flawless looking print which was just waiting to be signed off. And that was pretty much the pattern for the two days I was there. There were very few tweaks to make during the running of the job as the Italian's attention to detail and perfectionist working methods corrected anything necessary before I had a chance to see it.

After two long days in the factory, we had a few hours to spare so we went out for a fantastic meal and a whistlestop tour of Rome by night. Thanks to my wonderful driver and tour guide Angelo Mancini, (who is actually the president and founder of the printers) I had a very informative and enjoyable tour around the city, seeing so many sights that I can only remember a handful of places not least the very impressive St. Peters Basilica!

I'm now looking forward to receiving the finished article next week – and perhaps my next trip to Rome will be a tad more conventional with my girlfriend in tow for a sightseeing bonanza!

February 11, 2008

Cocktails! Once a refined drink that were sipped in private member bars and by 007, now they are a staple at any bar or even pub for that matter.

A mix of alcohol and very often fruit or some herb - the brightly coloured drinks, strangely named and served in funny shaped glasses are a regular treat for anyone on a night out. The issue with them is on a busy Saturday night when it is 3 deep at the bar the making of them doesn't help crowd control. They take so long to make with the crushing of icing, the chopping of fruit and the throwing of the bottles. Enjoyable to watch for whose cocktail it is, a pain stake for those just wanting 1/2 larger and have to wait an extra 5 minutes for it.

Maybe this is why, when I asked for a Mojito this Saturday at a bar in Leeds I was told they had stopped serving them. Or maybe it was just me! Oh well, just a whisky & coke then.

We've just completed what is for us a relatively small job for an independent school in Leeds called Fulneck. The thing is, for them, it's a massive job. It's their prospectus (a piece of print that promotes the school) and as such, it's a hugely important selling tool for the school, and they have to get it right.

We were asked to help capture what's unique about the school - and as you'd expect, this is quite tricky as it has lots of great things going for it. We decided to focus in on what no other school has - the students. Of course, every other school has students, but what Fulneck has is pupils that are uniquely shaped by the school's ethos and atmosphere.

The final printed prospectus is now in circulation and according to Aileen Kane, Marketing Manager at Fulneck School "We are already starting to see a dramatic increase in the number of parents visiting the school - it's amazing - and it's definitely down to the new prospectus. One parent commented recently that our prospectus stood out from every other she had seen because it didn't just show pictures of tennis courts and buildings - if featured the children and that's what attracted her to Fulneck".

Those are the kind of words we absolutely love to hear from our clients. A great looking design that's doing the business. We're just really pleased that this small job for us is creating big things for them.